Search - Lou Reed :: Live in Italy

Lou Reed In Italy- I was there!

03/31/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw the Lou Reed concert when he was in Rome during his Italy tour and it was a concert never to forget! It was held in the ruins of Circus Maximus next to the Colosseum which is essentially a big hole in the ground. The concert was staged at the bottom of this ruin and temporary 12 foot fences were erected around the concert seating . Well you didn't have to have a ticket to see the concert because all round the concert was the former Circus Maximus seating areas which were on grassy slopes looking down into the concert area. I was part of the crowd in these free seats that sat and watched the concert has it started to begin. At first there was no opening act, just loud rock music played over the loudspeakers. During this time there was a crowd of non ticket holders who weren't content with sitting in the free seats. They decided to try and climb the fence to get into the paying seats. Security was doing the best it could to stop those persons from being successful but they soon were out numbered and they called in the riot police. The riot police formed a line on one side of the concert area and then shot tear gas into the crowd of rowdy fence climbers. Unfortunately they didn't realize they were down wind from their target so the tear gas blew right back into their faces. Embarrassed and angry they took out their batons and charged the crowd. By this time the concert had already started on schedule despite the ruckus going on and the first and only song I heard Lou Reed play was Sweet Jane. After that it wasn't safe for anyone to stay in the free seats and continue to watch the concert so we left. It was quite an incredible experience for me to be a part of that concert that day. Later I bought the album of this concert and it is great not only for the music but for the memories it brings back every time I listen to it."

Lou Reed's best record

Maria H. R. Souza | Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro Brazil | 02/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is, by far, the best post-VU record of Reed's career!! Lord have mercy, folks, consider only the line-up here: Lou and Robert Quine on the dual assault of white noise-drenched, growling acid guitars, Fernando Saunders on his soaring fuzz-drived bass and the outstanding Fred Maher pounding the drums with skill and fury!!! The set-list is also superb: raging, fast, punky-adrenalined renditions of VU classics like "White Light / White Heat", "Rock and Roll", "Heroin" and "I'm Waiting for my Man", with also great versions of Lou's solo material, with a special remark to a feeback-drived, powerfully scary "Kill your Sons"."

Robert QUINE. The man who revitalized Lou's career.

Mike | San Jose, CA | 06/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is not the "best" Lou Reed-Robert Quine performance, but if you are even a casual Lou Reed fan you need to own this. The late R.Q. was credited (justifiably so) with encouraging Lou to pick up his guitar again after years of walking through his performances in a drugged, detached stupor. This was the age of "left channel, right channel" dogfights. On the "Blue Mask" album, it gets pretty terrifying. Here, Lou reinvents a few of his classics with a Neil Young & Crazy Horse kind of "Godfather of Grunge" intensity. Highlights? "Kill Your Sons," with the insane solos...and the killer, the "Some Kinda Love / Sister Ray" medley. "IIIIIIIIIIIIm...searchin' for my mainline...Woah, babe...I couldn't hit it side...woah, sideways..." The "Live In Italy" album makes "Rock & Roll Animal" sound like an Eric Carmen album, because Lou is EASILY ten times more insane than Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner will EVER be on guitar. After Quine, Lou never set the guitar down again. R.I.P., Bob...this is a great way for you to be remembered...and the high water mark of Lou's resurrected career."